School Protection Protocols and Occupational Burnout among Preschool Principals

• Autor: Pérez Cano, Ana Lucía
• Formato: artículo
• Fecha de Publicación: 2026
• Institución: Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola
• Repositorio: Revistas - Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola
• Lenguaje: español; inglés
• OAI Identifier: oai:revistas.usil.edu.pe:article/2120
• Enlace del recurso: https://revistas.usil.edu.pe/index.php/pyr/article/view/2120
• Nivel de acceso: acceso abierto
• Materia: Política educacional; Género; Condiciones de empleo; Salud mental; Relaciones laborales; Educational policy; Gender; Working conditions; Mental health; Labour relations

This qualitative study examines the relationship between burnout syndrome and the institutional tensions experienced by female preschool principals in Mexicali, Baja California, within the framework of the Comprehensive School Protection Protocols. Based on semi-structured interviews with fifteen school leaders, recurring patterns of emotional exhaustion were identified, associated with regulatory overload, unequal distribution of responsibilities, and affective demands linked to gendered leadership roles in highly demanding contexts. A phenomenological design was employed, with thematic analysis conducted using ATLAS.ti 9, reaching theoretical saturation by the eighth interview. The findings revealed five emergent categories: emotional exhaustion (100%), administrative overload (93%), institutional fear (87%), lack of support (80%), and inadequate protocols (73%). While principals demonstrate a strong commitment to their role in ensuring school protection, they face a dual demand: complying with institutional regulations in the absence of sufficient structural support, while simultaneously sustaining emotional bonds with the educational community. This tension increases their vulnerability to professional burnout and to forms of distress that are often normalized within the practice of female leadership. The article offers a critical interpretation of burnout at the preschool level as a manifestation of an organizational structure that reproduces gender-based inequities and institutionalized emotional labor. The study concludes with recommendations to reconsider leadership training frameworks and to design school policies that are responsive to the actual conditions of this educational level.